A/HRC/4/45
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B. Refugee and internally displaced children
21.
The other group of particularly vulnerable children in situations of armed conflict is
refugee and internally displaced children, in particular unaccompanied or separated children.
These children also face violations to their rights during flight as well as periods spent outside
camps, including trafficking, killing, maiming and sexual violence. In Darfur, for instance, the
international community has witnessed alarming levels of sexual violence, often as a deliberate
strategy of humiliation and as a tool of ethnic cleansing, which has been directed especially
against the large populations of internally displaced girls and women. In many places, the
collection of water and firewood outside the boundaries of camps has become a life-or-death
gamble for girls.
22.
Evidence also suggests that refugee and internally displaced persons’ camps are often
prime recruiting grounds for child soldiers because of the convenient concentrations of children,
and that the level of access and protection of these camps from armed groups is a determining
factor for high child recruitment rates.3 In this regard, the Office of the Special Representative
hopes to work closely with UNHCR, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR), UNICEF and other actors to agree on measures that can be promoted and supported
by the Office to ensure that the rights of these children are protected. In particular, in areas
where there is a large population of refugees or internally displaced persons living in close
proximity to the conflict zones, the Office of the Special Representative would continue to
encourage UNHCR to consider placing child protection staff to monitor the protection status of
children in these camps.
IV. MAKING CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT CONCERNS AN
INTEGRAL PART OF PEACEKEEPING AND PEACEBUILDING
23.
The emphasis of the United Nations on enhancing its capacity and infrastructure for
effective peacekeeping and peacebuilding represents a critical system-wide priority. Preliminary
findings from a recent assessment of child protection advisers (CPAs) (as per paragraph 20 (d) of
Security Council resolution 1612 (2005)) indicate that mainstreaming child protection into
peacekeeping missions has increased awareness of children affected by armed conflict among
United Nations civilian police, military observers and the military, thereby greatly enhancing the
work of CPAs by providing an extended network of available resources to monitor violations.
To this end, the Office of the Special Representative will continue to emphasize the importance
of the role of CPAs and other child protection mechanisms in peacekeeping operations.
24.
As part of any post-conflict peacebuilding efforts, aside from the re-establishment of
security and the consolidation of peace, one of the most daunting challenges is the desperate
conditions of young children and adolescents. The prospects for recovery in most countries
therefore also depend on the successful reintegration of these children and adolescents who
3
Vera Achvarina and Simon F. Reich, “No Place to Hide: Refugees, Displaced Persons,
and the Recruitment of Child Soldiers”, International Security, vol. 31, No. 1 (Summer 2006),
pp. 127-164.
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